Children are often the unfortunate victims of backward pedestrian crashes. There are many driveway tragedies of this nature every year in the United States. When it comes to avoiding objects while traveling in reverse, rear cameras are more effective than parking sensors. However, they are not helpful in every situation.
Experts estimate about 300 people are killed and about 18,000 are injured annually in backward pedestrian crashes. These accidents typically occur in driveways and parking lots. Researchers recently conducted a study with drivers in an empty parking lot in Los Angeles. Their study results showed that cameras were more helpful than parking sensors in preventing backward crashes into pedestrians. They also found that cameras alone worked better in these situations than cameras and parking sensors combined.
Trucks and SUVs are commonly involved in these accidents, because it is hard for drivers to see children who are playing or lying on the ground from a higher blind zone.
During their study, researchers placed a painted pole behind a vehicle to show the varying heights and head sizes of kids who were between 12 and 15 months, between two and three years and between five and six years. One exception to this was the Hyundai Sonata, which had a high trunk and a sloping rear window. The blind spot on this vehicle was more than 40 percent larger than the blind spot on a Ford F-150 truck, which had side mirrors designed for enhanced visibility while towing.